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The Amazing Race Review: Something Stinks

Something really smelled foul on this week’s episode of The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business and it wasn’t all of the buffalo manure that the teams encountered in the Detour. Kent hit some new lows this week and is officially the villain of the remaining six teams on the race.

When the teams returning to run The Amazing Race a second time were announced, Kent and Vyxsin’s inclusion was always a curious one. Because of their Goth lifestyle, they’re certainly intriguing, but they lack the endearing qualities that make Jet and Cord, Flight Time and Big Easy and Gary and Mallory such fan favorites. Heck, even Ron’s bumbling became lovable by the end of this episode.

But, Kent and Vyxsin were not alone as a curious inclusion. Kisha and Jen and Ron and Christina also fit the bill of teams whose inclusion didn’t seem warranted. The difference between those teams and the dating Goths is that they haven’t done anything that makes you root against them. How could anyone root for Kent at this point?

Kent has had a number of bumps along the road so far that make your brow furrow, but nothing like his performance this week. I have no problem with doing whatever you can to win. But listening to Kent trying to validate why he felt that he didn’t have to honor his agreement with Gary to work together once the significantly older Gary helped him find the six clues at the Roadblock was nauseating. Talk about being full of…well, you know what.

After screwing Gary at the Roadblock, big bad Kent is so hyped up for the race he has to ask his partner, Vyxsin, to carry his backpack up the stairs to the Detour because he’s too weak to do so. Have some freaking pride, dude. This may seem sexist, but unless you’re sick or handicapped, who let’s their girlfriend carry their backpack for them? Shouldn’t it be the opposite?

Last and perhaps worst was his deplorable behavior trying to secure a cab to the Pit Stop. Why was he berating the gentlemen who was already in the cab to get out so he and Vyxsin can have it? No wonder American’s have such a bad reputation overseas. Jerks like Kent can’t handle stress.

What’s perhaps most depressing is that Kent’s actions overshadow how impressive Vyxsin has been this season. For starters, she’s clearly ten times more physical than Kent. To borrow the cliché, she clearly wears the pants in the relationship. Additionally, her ability to handle stress is significantly greater than Kent’s (ok, besides the Japan melt down leg).

Considering how painful Kent is to watch and what an anchor Ron has been for Christina, I wish we could merge Christina and Vyxsin and have Kent and Ron go home. Who wouldn’t be up for that?

As it is, Ron and Christina going home most simply means that Jet and Cord are not going home. Even though the cowboys made the boneheaded move of not getting on the same, earlier flight as everyone else to Varanasi, you some how got the feeling that a one hour deficit was not hard for them to make up. Vyxsin even alluded to as much when she referred to how efficient the cowboys are and they proved her right. The only disappointing part was that we didn’t get a single moment to hear their music. Come on, CBS!

More from this episode:

Not only has Vyxsin proven herself on the race course, we also got to see her without the thick layer of makeup she wears earlier in the season. After this week, I wish we could see her without that ridiculous nose ring more often as well.

Seriously, does anyone know what’s up with the car horns in India? At this point I know it’s going to happen when the race goes to India, but does anyone know why?

I wish we got to see which Detour option was faster because Feed the Buffalo seemed much faster than Feed the Fire, but all of the teams that arrived at the Detour at the same time picked the same option.